St. Louis Will Fall In Love With Little `Eck'

PRESS BOX - Guest Column

December 26, 2004|By Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post Dispatch

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals fans are going to love their new shortstop, David Eckstein. The 5-7, 165-pound Eckstein, who went to Sanford's Seminole High School and Florida State, soon will become the town's favorite short story.

And we already have the title, courtesy of former Cardinals utility man Rex Hudler: "The Little Engine That Could . . . and Did. `Meet David Eckstein.' "

Hudler broadcasts games for the Anaheim Angels and watched Eckstein buzz around the diamond over the past three-plus seasons as an all-purpose pest. Getting dirty. Breaking up double plays. Taking a 95-mph fastball on the hip to reach first and start a rally. Bunting. Stealing. Slapping the ball the other way to advance a runner. Making sure-handed plays in the field.

In short, Eckstein is the kind of old-school player who commands such great respect and appreciation in St. Louis, a traditional baseball town. Hudler was popular during his time here because he crashed into walls and blistered his face with head-first dives. And Eckstein is a kindred spirit.

"Put it this way," Hudler said, "I named my son after him. David Scott Hudler. And now `Eck' is headed to St. Louis. It's a perfect fit. It will be a beautiful relationship. He's going to be revered as the new Huckleberry Finn of St. Louis and Missouri."

And Hudler is not the only member of the fan club. The Angels relinquished their rights to Eckstein after overpaying free agent Orlando Cabrera at the rate of $8 million a season. The reaction in parts of Southern California bordered on outrage.

Columnist Paul Oberjuerge of the San Bernardino Sun wrote: "The Angels just shot Bambi."

Check out this e-mail from Craig Cervantes, an Angels fan from Huntington Beach: "The city of St. Louis will soon find out what kind of person they have amongst them and will embrace him dearly. You have a player who plays the game with the love and passion of a 10-year-old Little Leaguer. A player who goes out of his way to sign autographs. Before games, he will be the one talking to any and all fans until management has to pull him away at game time.

In short, the city of St. Louis and David Eckstein were made for each other. St. Louis may be the best "Pure Baseball City" in the country and David Eckstein plays the game the way it was meant to be played."

And don't forget the little people. . . .

"When they released Eckstein, my 8-year old daughter broke down and started crying," Hudler said. "The kids in Orange County are heartbroken. Kids are his biggest fans. The children look up to him and relate to him because he's so small. When the kids look at Eckstein, they see someone who overcame the obstacle of being considered too small to be a big-league player. He inspires all of those kids who have been told they aren't good enough."

And the Halos were sad to see Eckstein go. "He's been the heart and soul of the team, an inspiration for all of us," first baseman Darin Erstad told MLB.com "There's no one I've seen play the game as hard as him. He'll go 0 for 25, show up at the stadium the next day and be the happiest guy in the world. He shows up for one reason, to win."

OK, so why was Eckstein expendable?

With a .388 onbase percentage, Eckstein ignited the 2002 team that won the World Series, but his play gradually dropped off; not dramatically -- his OBP is still adequate -- but enough to prompt the Angels to seek an upgrade at shortstop. Eckstein is limited, athletically. And he doesn't have a strong arm.

"That's very misleading," Hudler said. "He's so smart. I've never seen him make a mental mistake."